What is 'conscious sedation'?

What is 'conscious sedation'?

Samuel Seelig (Anesthesiologist, Los Angeles, California) gives expert video advice on: What is an 'anesthesiologist'?; What happens immediately after surgery? and more...

Conscious sedation is a sedation technique whereby the patient is responsive to the commands of either the surgeon or the anaesthesiologist. This type of sedation was used for endoscopic procedures in the past, such as colonoscopy. It is presently used for disco grams, which is a diagnostic test whereby a orthopaedist or pain management specialist determines which disc is creating the pain in a patient. They pressurize the disc and the patient is sedated, yet responsive and can tell the surgeon or procedurist which disc is giving or reproducing the pain that he has.